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April 18, 2011

Here's our roundup of Texas Department of Transportation news and events. If you have any questions, comments or just want to know more about something you read here, send a message to AskTxDOT@txdot.gov.

Motorcycle Safety Campaign

TxDOT kicked off its “Share the Road” motorcycle safety and public awareness campaign at a news conference at the Austin Long Center for the Performing Arts on April 12. The campaign urges motorists to look twice for motorcycles at intersections and when changing lanes. Texas Transportation Commissioner Fred Underwood, an avid motorcyclist, helped kick off the month-long campaign.

Motorcyclists are dying in record numbers. In 2009, 434 motorcyclists were killed, accounting for 14 percent of the state’s traffic deaths. Without aggressive steps to promote public awareness about the dangers facing motorcyclists, the Texas Transportation Institute's Center for Transportation Safety estimates that the state’s motorcycle death toll could double by 2015.

TxDOT Crews Battle Swenson Fire

As an aggressive wildfire that started in Swenson in Stonewall County on April 5 and swept through several adjoining counties, TxDOT crews were called in to assist the Texas Forest Service and local jurisdictions battle and contain the blaze.

The flames from the “Swenson Fire,” as it was dubbed, reached more than 20 feet in the air, jumped roadways and rapidly moved north and east. With more than 100,000 acres scorched in six days, the fire at one point was the largest in the country. The flames from the “Swenson Fire,” as it was dubbed, reached more than 20 feet in the air, jumped roadways and rapidly moved north and east. With more than 100,000 acres scorched in six days, the fire at one point was the largest in the country. Maintenance crews in the Odessa, El Paso, San Angelo and Childress districts provided support as firefighters battled numerous blazes in west Texas.

Commission Approves Agreement for SH 161

The Texas Transportation Commission held a special meeting on April 12 to approve a federal infrastructure loan agreement with the North Texas Tollway Authority that assists in financing the SH 161 extension project in Irving and Grand Prairie and the Southwest Parkway/Chisholm Trail Parkway project in Fort Worth.

RFP: Low-Emissions Freight Transportation Facility

The department recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) from public and private sector entities to lease existing TxDOT-owned right of way for the development and operation of a low-emission freight transportation facility without financial support from the department. The notice of request for competing proposals has been published in the Texas Register. The deadline for submissions is 3 p.m., Oct. 3, 2011.

TxDOT Applies for High-Speed Rail Funds

TxDOT recently submitted applications to the Federal Railroad Administration requesting almost $43 million in high-speed rail funds for two Texas projects — one for preliminary engineering and environmental studies and one for safety improvements.

TxDOT is requesting $18 million in funding for preliminary engineering and environmental studies for the proposed Dallas/Fort Worth to Houston High Speed Rail Line, a corridor that would connect two of the nation’s most populated metropolitan areas.

Another $24.8 million would provide a portion of the funding for the final design and construction of a federally-mandated safety system — Positive Train Control — on the Trinity Rail Express corridor between Dallas Union Station and the T&P Station in Fort Worth.

Commission Meeting Set for April 28

The Texas Transportation Commission will convene at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 28 for its monthly meeting. The Commission will receive a report on nationwide initiatives regarding the use of vehicle mileage fee systems and an update on TxDOT’s modernization efforts.

The Commission also will consider approving updates to the FY 2011 Unified Transportation Program and granting final approval to a request from the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority for a State Infrastructure Bank loan up to $20 million to pay for construction of the Loop 375 extension project in El Paso County.

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